con

03/28/2017

It has not been an easy first few months for the Trump man, our president who still may not realize that his desires are not the be all and end all in Washington. There are other power centers that he has to deal with and get them to acquiesce to his wishes. The defeat of the Republican health care debacle is just the latest evidence of Trump’s inability to solve the Washington puzzle. He came riding into town on what he thought was a big white horse, promising to chase the bad guys out of town and change the way “business” was done in Washington.

Well, he certainly has not chased out the bad guys, commonly known as lobbyists, and the politicians who are willing to sell themselves if the price is right. Instead, he brought in some billionaire businessmen to help him shake things up, and gave important posts to people hell bent on destroying their agencies or departments. And it appears that his main adviser, Steve Bannon, wants to destroy the federal government itself, a man with little knowledge of how Washington works and not caring.

Trump’s defeat in passing the Republican health care bill, was a big loss, though the president does not see it as a failure on his part, blaming the Democrats for what happened. Then, it appeared as if Trump might be open to working with the Democrats to craft a health care bill in the future, bringing his GOP posse in the House along for the ride. Was Trump sincere in what he said, or merely trying to scare the Freedom Caucus and other conservatives into following him?

But health care appears to be off the table for the time being, though it is unclear what is next on the agenda. The Democrats would probably like to see infrastructure legislation come up, as they could probably deal with Trump and moderate Republicans on that. And the nation is in dire need of infrastructure repair and expansion. The question is where will the funds be coming from: the trillion dollars that The Donald was talking about during the campaign?

The conservatives and Freedom Caucus do not want to see an increase in the national debt and don’t want to raise taxes, so it will be up to the Trump man to pull a rabbit out of his hat. Privatizing infrastructure would not be the right answer, as there are too many things that need to be done that are not fit for generating revenue. Having multi-national corporations bringing revenues home to be taxed at a lower rate will also not produce enough funds for infrastructure repair.

Republicans are talking about tax reform as the next legislation to address, with an interest in cutting taxes for the wealthy. (Can’t get that old trickle-down mantra out of their minds.) But tax cuts of any sort would mean less revenue for the federal government and further growth of the national debt, the latter a no-no for the conservatives.

On the campaign trail, Trump spoke of health care for everyone at affordable prices and no one losing their insurance or the benefits they had. He also promised tax cuts across the board and a trillion dollars for infrastructure repair and expansion. He was also going to cut the national debt. There is no way these pledges can be realized without increasing the national debt, even if Trump has a few rabbits ready to be pulled. And by the way, there’s also a wall to be built at our southern border that will cost ten to fifteen billion, along with deportation of immigrants. And the deportation will cost a number of additional billions and reduce the nation’s GDP. So how is all of this going to get done, no matter what schedule of legislation Congress pursues? It just ain’t doable. There is more thumping ahead for Trump, assuming that conspiring with the Russians doesn’t get him first.

02/15/2017

First major casualty of the nascent Trump administration, former General Michael Flynn resigned/was fired two days ago. Flynn, who was the top National Security Advisor, had gotten too big for his britches and his balloon was burst when information came out regarding his dealings with the Russian Ambassador prior to Trump’s inauguration. Apparently, this Putin buddy told the Ambassador that the sanctions that had just been applied to the Russians by Obama for their interference in the 2016 elections would be reversed by Trump once he was in office.

Flynn had been in trouble before when he was part of the Obama administration and had been kicked out of his job as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency because of difficulty dealing with subordinates and his inability to accept any intelligence that contradicted his fixed beliefs. Flynn had also been involved with the Russians previously, before Trump became president, taking paid speaking engagements on RT, the Russian international television network. He also appeared at a dinner with Putin and apparently had business dealings with some of the oligarchs.

Of course, as National Security Advisor to Trump, Flynn could not maintain any links to the Russians and could not make any secret agreements with Russian officials behind Trump’s back. He lied about his conversation with the Russian ambassador and withheld the information from Vice President Pence, who went out on a limb defending Flynn before he was aware of the deception. Flynn may also be guilty of violating the Logan Act by speaking with the representative of a foreign government before Trump was in office.

By lying to Vice-President Pence and other US officials, Flynn placed himself in a potentially compromising position, opening himself up to being blackmailed by the Russians. Trump was apparently aware of the situation with Flynn seventeen days before the National Security Advisor resigned, so one has to wonder why Trump was sitting on that information and doing nothing about it. Who else in the administration knew what was going on and who gave the word to Flynn that he had to leave? Are any other administration officials guilty of conspiring with the Russians or withholding information from the president? Is Flynn going to be the only one leaving or can the nation expect to hear the words “You’re fired” yelled by the president at other members of his team? Is the president himself guilty of involvement with the Russians before the election?

Flynn is a malignant Islamophobe who has initiated and spread various conspiracy theories along with his son, the latter being excluded from the Trump team when some of his paranoid theories became known. Hillary’s involvement in a child porn ring was one of the instances of false news disseminated by Flynn pere and fils. Flynn also led aggressive chants at Trump rallies of “Lock Her Up,” in relation to Hillary’s email debacle and problems with the Clinton Foundation. Flynn might have been an ardent Trump supporter but it was obvious that he was a troubled individual, which might not have been recognized by the president.

A question now is who is going to take over the role of National Security Advisor for Trump, an extremely important position in his administration, as Trump does not want to listen to long daily briefings about national security and does not read lengthy analyses of pending problems. There is some thought that former General David Petraeus might be given the job, a really smart and knowledgeable guy regarding military and intelligence issues. Though he did slip once previously, giving classified information to his mistress who was a journalist, some smut in a candidate’s history could be a plus for a job in the Trump administration. And Petraeus has all of the other bona fides. But the job may go to someone Trump can control.

Another question is whether or not the FBI is continuing its pursuit of the hacking by the Russians and the part it played in the election, or whether the subject was closed? How about Trumps interactions with the Russians before he became president? Is there going to be a Congressional investigation of these matters or will a select committee be formed to look into this attempt to sway America’s ‘free elections?’ Or will Congress continue to back Trump because of his party affiliation, putting party ahead of country as they have done for so long?

In addition to the Flynn debacle, a lot of unusual situations have surfaced since Donald Trump began his trek to the presidency, with none of the adverse or damaging information or actions sticking to him yet. John Gatti, the Mafia boss, was nicknamed the Teflon Don because of a similar ability years ago. Maybe Trump is another Teflon Don.

11/16/2016

No matter how much centrist and left-wing American citizens lament the fact that Donald Trump is America’s new president, that’s the way it is. And it ain’t gonna change. Demonstrations may release some pent-up anger at the results of the election, but they are not going to accomplish anything.

The people who are in the streets demonstrating would have had a much more profound effect on the governing of America if they had been more active prior to Election Day, working to get voters to support Hillary. Amazingly, a majority of white women, 53 percent, voted for Donald Trump, dismissing all evidence of his misogyny and sexual predation. Or perhaps they were simply ignorant of his comments and unaware of what he had previously done. Or maybe they just didn’t care.

In addition large numbers of Hispanics voted for Trump, the latest figures suggesting it was as high as nearly 30 percent. Though many more voted for Hillary, it was not enough to carry her over the finish line. Again, one must ask what were the Hispanic voters thinking. Weren’t they aware of Trump’s racist comments against Hispanics and his threats to build a wall at the Mexican border and deport all undocumented immigrants? Or maybe they just weren’t paying attention to what Trump was saying or didn’t believe him. How could so many Hispanics have supported Trump?

And the African-Americans did not come out and vote in the numbers that were necessary to provide Hillary with the backing she needed, in spite of the exhortations from Obama. Were they just being lazy, didn’t care enough, or didn’t really like Hillary. Trump’s racist comments and his support from white supremacists and the KKK should have been enough to motivate them, but obviously it was not enough get them to go out and vote for Hillary.

The polls showed that young people favored Hillary by significant margins but they too didn’t vote in large enough numbers to make a difference. Now, many of the Millennials are demonstrating because they’re unhappy that Trump was elected. But if they had moved their asses earlier and pushed their friends and associates to vote, perhaps Hillary would be in the White House now and others would be out demonstrating. They still should be organizing if they want to win future elections.

Hillary won the popular vote but in America’s arcane system of presidential elections, she did not carry the Electoral College and that was what really counted. In fact, the total percentage of voters who participated in this presidential election was lower than the previous two, with an estimated 57 percent of registered voters going to the polls compared to 58.6 percent in 2012 and 61.6 percent in 2008. It is amazing to realize that less than one third of American citizens who were eligible to vote picked the leader who will guide the nation over the next four years. And they have also chosen a Republican Senate and House and a majority of GOP governors and legislatures. The Supreme Court will also wind up controlled by Republican conservatives.

This means that every branch of government at a federal and state level in the United States will be dominated by Republicans who did not even attain a majority of the popular vote and have the support of less than a third of the total registered voters in the nation. Somehow, this does not ring true as democracy in action.

It is unclear how much of Trump’s victory came about because of political ignorance and people not understanding what they were voting for, how much was simply anti-Hillary, and how much was because American believed in the promises that Trump was making even though they seemed to be unattainable to analysts. The anger at the establishment and the elites by poor and middle-class whites was real enough and that may have been the decisive factor that gave Trump his victory.

10/18/2016

Even before he has lost the election, Donald Trump is courting danger. Not for himself, but for America and for democracy. His statements that if he loses the election, it is because it was rigged and stolen by the Democrats and the liberal media have heightened the anger of his supporters. And Mike Pence, his VP candidate has gone along with Trump’s false assertions. At one of the Trump-Pence rallies, there were calls for a revolution if Hillary wins. America has never faced this kind of militant reaction from a major presidential candidate and his supporters in modern times. They refuse to accept the facts that the majority of voters do not appear to want Trump as their president.

And Trump is happy to stoke the anger of his supporters. His ranting and raving against “crooked Hillary” and his threats to throw her in jail if he is elected have energized his backers who believe this is a real possibility. The focus on Hillary’s private email server and her speeches to financial companies have tamped down the damage that Trump did to himself when the tapes were released showing him to be a sexual predator. And the Trump base has been willing to overlook or forgive his comments, accepting his excuse that it was just locker room talk. The fact that a number of women have reported Trump’s attacks on them have been dismissed as lies by Trump and believed as such by his supporters. To many of his backers, Trump can do no wrong and Hillary is characterized as the devil.

It is amazing that so many of his supporters see the election in blacks and whites, with Trump as the white knight riding in to save the country. His failure to pay taxes for years and his unwillingness to release his tax returns don’t bother his base. His failures as a businessman with his series of bankruptcies and screwing his investors, his contractors, and the small businesses that worked for him are passed off by his backers as media propaganda by liberal journalists who are out to get Trump. His supporters are unwilling to investigate the attacks on Trump for themselves, perhaps afraid they will discover that the denunciations of him are based on facts, and that Trump is truly a liar, manipulator, sexual predator, lousy businessman, and a fraudulent blowhard; a narcissistic autocrat who is a danger to American democracy.

America has a long history of conspiracy theories and political paranoia, rife in the 20th century. These included the John Birchers, Joe McCarthy and his anti-Communist witch hunts, the John Kennedy assassination and the refusal to believe it was done by Lee Harvey Oswald alone, the moon landing that some believe was faked, the supposed extra-terrestrials in Roswell, New Mexico, and so forth. Of course, they biggest one in the 21st century was the refusal by many to believe that Obama was born in America, was a Christian and not a Muslim. In fact, many Republicans still adhere to these beliefs, particularly the Trump supporters. So it is not surprising that his base is willing to believe that the election could be rigged and stolen from him. Over 40 percent of voters believe the election could indeed be fraudulent and fixed by Hillary and her “liberal” cohort.”

For years, Republican state legislatures have passed strict voter ID laws, claiming that it was necessary to prevent voter fraud. This is in spite of the fact that multiple studies have shown that voter fraud is virtually non-existent. In reality, these laws were passed to reduce minority voting with the GOP trying to make it harder for minorities to register. But with the idea of voter fraud already inculcated in the minds of Republicans, it was not a big step for the Trump backers to think that the entire election could be stolen. Of course, a central conspiracy to fix an American election would be impossible with the states and localities controlling the voting process.

According to Politico, Republican leaders are now trying to get Trump to stop claiming that the election will be rigged and stolen from him. They say unless he can show some proof, he should refrain from his assertions, as they could lead to more disrespect for the government, flouting of the laws, and even some violent reactions if Trump loses the election, which now seems likely. Will there be a rebellion in some areas of the country led by white supremacists. We’ll have to wait and see. But the anger Trump is stoking is certainly dangerous and a new low in American politics.

Trump doesn’t want to be branded “a loser” and will do anything he can to avoid being called that. He doesn’t care whether he might damage the nation and American democracy, ruining the image of America globally. For Trump, everything is done for Trump with no consideration of the repercussions.

10/04/2016

Does a man who does not pay his fair share of federal taxes deserve to be president? Does he even deserve to be running for president? Can a man who looks down on those who pay their taxes as suckers and losers represent the country fairly or will he do what he can to enhance his own wealth and assets. Can he connect with ordinary citizens? His history suggests selfishness, self-involvement, narcissism, and behavior bordering on the edge of illegality. He has used the tax codes and the bankruptcy laws to major advantage, often disdainful of his investors, contractors, and small businessmen, whom he forced to take losses when he declared bankruptcy to keep himself afloat.

His “success” as a businessman started with money given to him by his father who subsequently had to bail him out when his ventures went awry. (Who would bail him out if he became president and got into trouble?) Trump’s great business ventures that he has been touting include Trump Airlines that failed, Trump University that scammed money from poor people and failed, the Trump Institute that did the same thing and failed, and the five Trump bankruptcies in his casino business that failed. And he lost nearly a billion dollars in one year. Is this really the great business guru who is capable of righting the American ship of state, or is he more likely to sink it.

Trump is also “a know it all,” unwilling to take advice from consultants or people who are really knowledgeable in different fields. After all, he has had no political experience and should be willing to listen to those who are experts. Yet, he failed to prepare for his first debate with Hillary though his advisors told him it was important and necessary. He believed he could manage the debate “off the cuff” as he has done with so many of his rallies. Thus, the polls and political scientists have shown that Trump lost the first debate, though it is unclear whether that was the result of his lack of preparation. (Trump has told all his associates to say that he won the debate as he does not want his supporters to believe that he lost.)

There is also his secret plan for defeating ISIS which he doesn’t want to reveal for fear of alerting them. He has said that he knows more about how to knock out ISIS than America’s generals, though he has no military experience at all. (He was able to dodge the draft during the Vietnam War, so maybe that gives him some knowledge of military strategy?) Would he listen to the generals if he was elected president, or would he just tell them what to do? He has suggested that torture of terrorist suspects would be fine as would killing their families. These actions would fall into the category of war crimes, though that would not appear to deter him. Perhaps the generals and other officers would not obey him if he ordered war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Would he agree to no first use of nuclear weapons? It’s not clear from what he has said so far, though he did wonder why we had them in the first place if we didn’t intend to use them. (Obviously, he never heard of MAD- Mutual Assured Deterrence.) His admiration for Putin and other dictators who violated human rights gives Americans a clue as to what type of president Trump would be. And his ideas of deporting 12 million undocumented immigrants is a fantasy, as the economy would tank and it would cost the nation hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars to do. His wall at the border that Mexico would pay for is another absurd concept of his that will never come to pass.

One would think that his comments against the disabled, fat shaming of women, racist remarks, and denigration of Hispanics would be enough to lose him the votes of all of these groups. And though it is true Hillary has a majority of these sectors, there are still significant numbers of people in these groups who intend to vote for him. The race is much too close, even though Hillary is far from the ideal candidate. At least she is rational, qualified, and generally in control of herself, unlike “The Donald.” It should have been Hillary by a landslide, but it appears that many Americans have been seduced by Trump’s cons, populist and nationalist slogans. Hopefully, they’ll come to their senses by Election Day.

08/09/2016

Even before the election takes place Donald Trump is claiming that the election is rigged and that if he loses, it’s because the voting is fixed. Why is he doing this? Is it to stir up his supporters to get them to the polls, encourage them to contribute to his campaign, have them actively participate to convince other voters to back him? None of these possibilities really hold much water.

The Donald is claiming the system is rigged so that if he loses, he won’t be known as a “loser.” This is the worst epithet in the Trump lexicon, and no matter what happens, he doesn’t want to be called a loser. If he convinces others that the system is rigged, he may not be thought of that way. (But no matter how you cut it, he will still be a loser.)

Though he obviously doesn’t care, Trump’s declaration that the voting is fixed is bad for America and for the democratic system. It makes the nation look bad in the eyes of the rest of the world, particularly in those nations where autocrats rule. People like Putin and Xe can take Trump’s statements as truth and use it in their propaganda to show that democracy is not really what it’s cracked up to be. Free elections are not really free and the outcome is pre-ordained by the people who run “the system.” Other nations can use his statements as well for anti-American propaganda and to criticize democracy.

Trump can also employ his claims to dispute the results of the election, to ask for recounts and challenge the vote totals in various areas. It can diminish the legitimacy of Hillary’s presidency as well if she wins, with some people convinced that she wasn’t really the victor. (Trump played the same game with his birther claims to contest the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency by stating that he was not born in America, was not a citizen, and was a Muslim, trying to destroy his public image.)

There is a possibility that some people will believe Trump’s claims and may be more inclined to vote for him, thinking that the system is unfair. More worrisome is that some of his supporters may not acquiesce to a Trump loss, particularly if the vote is close. If they assume that the election was rigged, they may institute civil disobedience actions that make the nation, or portions of it, difficult to govern. They might also foment an insurrection against the federal government, an armed rebellion that could take the form of guerilla warfare or a direct military confrontation. Trump’s supporters include all the white supremacists and militia groups that are armed to the teeth. They could raise a formidable army to fight for Trump if the circumstances were right. All of them hate Hillary and the Democrats and the right spark could ignite them. And seeing how Trump has been conducting his campaign, he could be the one to provide that spark. The narcissist in him might not be able to resist it.

It is imperative that the media be more aggressive contesting Trump’s remarks about election rigging, whether the editors, correspondents and owners have a conservative or liberal outlook. It is not something that demands neutrality as his comments are untrue and damage the nation. Trump has been playing with fire since the onset of his campaign with his nativist and populist remarks, and focus on identity politics. His claims of election rigging have upset people in both the GOP and Democratic parties, with uncertainty about where he is going with this. It’s another example of Trump’s instability and his unworthiness to hold the presidency. No matter what he says and how he tries to shape the narrative, Trump is a danger to America and the democratic process.

08/01/2016

Conning people has been an integral part of Donald Trump’s life since he was a young man. Lying or exaggerating whenever it was useful is second nature for him, to make him look better than he actually is. And deceiving individuals was automatic, to make it seem as if he was doing something special for them, when he was actually taking advantage of them. Everything he did was to increase his wealth or for self-aggrandizement, to bolster his own ego which must have been crimped in his childhood. Trump the man has a lousy self-image and has to constantly remind everyone how terrific he is, how rich and how smart he is.

Trump has always done anything necessary to beat the system. By hook or by crook, it has always been critical that he best everyone he’s ever dealt with, or at least make it seem that way. No problem using unethical, questionably legal, or even illegal methods, as long as he came out on top. He couldn’t stand having another person able to say that he or she had gotten the better of him; that he had been a loser. For him, that’s the worst epithet that can be employed to describe a person. (And Trump utilizes it liberally for anyone who opposes or criticizes him.)

Trump has also used women to reinforce his self-image, conning them into believing that he liked them before moving on to the next one when his attention span faltered. (Three marriages and how many failed relationships?) His modus operandi also included using women as arm candy, so other men would envy him and he would be held in greater esteem. Fidelity was never an issue for him. Self-gratification and self-aggrandizement were more important.

And he learned at an early age to avoid responsibility for his actions. When younger, his father had been around to get him out of jams, with money or connections. While the Vietnam War had raged, brave Donald had gotten multiple deferments for education. Then when his time had come to go into the service, he had gotten off the hook when a doctor had declared that The Donald had a bone spur on his heel and wouldn’t be able to tolerate the rigors of Army life. (Give me a break! How much do you think that one cost his daddy?) Yes, The Donald who claims that he loves veterans is actually a draft dodger; a coward unwilling to fight for his country. He was happy to leave the job of protecting democracy to all the poor slobs unable to get out of the service; who didn’t have rich fathers to send them to school and manipulate the system to have them evade the draft. And it’s Trump who says that the system is rigged. He’s right. But it is and has been rigged for guys like him. Money and connections.

And the poor slobs who did the fighting in Korea, Vietnam, and America’s more recent wars, are the ones now supporting Trump for president, believing his con that he’s going to do something for them. They’ve been deceived by the lies he’s told them, promising jobs and the industries he’s going to bring back to America, how he’s going to rid America of illegal immigrants and build a wall across the border with Mexico to keep immigrants out. But ask him about the Trump brand suits, ties, shirts and hats that are manufactured abroad, about the undocumented immigrants he’s used on his construction jobs, about the small businessmen he refused to pay for the work they did.

The Donald’s history has been one of constantly scamming gullible people to steal money. There was “Trump University” which scammed students for tens of thousands of dollars they couldn’t afford, getting them to sign up for real estate courses that were going to make them rich by learning Trump’s secrets. Instead, Trump took their money and left them with nothing in return but debt. And there was the “Trump Institute” that did more of the same. Trump’s businesses included his ownership of the New Jersey Generals Football Team that went belly-up and made Trump a loser. And Trump Airlines with the Trump Shuttle was another losing venture for him.

But even worse were his casinos in Atlantic City that went bankrupt, costing investors millions of dollars, employees their jobs, and contractors, sub-contractors, and small businessmen the payments they were owed. The Donald, however, claims that he walked away from these bankruptcies having made plenty of money. Too bad for the suckers who trusted and believed in him.

Now he’s asking the whole country to trust and believe in him. He says that he’s going to make America great again, protect it from terrorism, and reduce crime (even though crime is already at an all-time low). Trump says that he knows more about ISIS than the generals, though it’s not clear where he’s gotten his information or what his plan is to eliminate ISIS. Maybe Putin told him. (Trump’s called General Allen, a four star Marine Corps general a loser because he’s supporting Hillary.) Trump says he gets his foreign policy and military advice mainly from himself, because he’s so smart.

Though Trump has made lots of promises, he hasn’t told us how he is going to get all of these things done. He’s conned people into believing and trusting him in the past and they were all hurt by him. Just trust him and believe in him. He knows what he’s doing and is the only one who can make America great again. Really! Should anyone trust or believe in him given his history. To me, it sounds like the consummate con.